Windsor's athlete Bishop-Cotner looks to future

Apr. 11, 2013

Windsor High School heavyweight wrestler Robert Bishop-Cotner, right, finished as a runner-up at the state wrestling tournament as a senior. He also competes on Windsor's football and swimming teams. / Dawn Madura/The Coloradoan

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Windsor's Robert Bishop-Cotner swims during a recent practice. The senior will attend Johnson & Wales University to pursue degrees in culinary arts. / Don Reichert/For The Beacon

ROBERT BISHOP-COTNER FILE

• School: Windsor High School • Class: Senior • Notes: Won a football state championship as a junior ... won state championships in wrestling as a sophomore and junior ... all-conference player in football as a senior.

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The right assignment at the right time can be all it takes to set someone on the proper path.

In sixth grade Robert Bishop-Cotner was a self-described troublemaker, getting himself into fights and creating problems for his teachers.

He was given an assignment to write a letter to a college requesting information, but he put it off. Then, with the threat of failing hanging over him, he finally did it with the help of his teacher.

He had a casual interest in cooking, so he wrote to Johnson & Wales University in Denver. They responded with a huge packet of information. That was the spark that lit the interest.

Now the Windsor High School senior is set to attend Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island to pursue a two-year degree in baking and pastry, a two-year degree in culinary arts and a one-year degree in food science.

“Big time goal would be to end up getting my degree in baking and pastry culinary arts and going and working in the field for a couple of years, and then I would like to either open up a restaurant or open up a bakery,” Bishop-Cotner said.

That first correspondence with Johnson & Wales helped him start to shape up, and now he has his future in front of him.

Oh yeah, one other thing. He’s a three-time state champion and three-sport star. He’s on the football, wrestling and swimming teams.

He is an all-conference defensive tackle in football, anchoring the middle of the defense, and he helped Windsor to win the Class 3A state championship in 2011. He won state titles with the Windsor wrestling team in 2011 and 2012 and came in second in the state in the heavyweight division this season. While he’s not a state championship contender in swimming, his coach said he’s always impressed by Bishop-Cotner’s ability in the pool.

“Probably one of my favorite accomplishments, not only because it’s cool to win a state championship, but the fact that I’ve been a part of three state championships,” Bishop-Cotner said. “I think that’s pretty cool.”

He also plans to wrestle at Johnson & Wales.

He jokes that some of his friends don’t know he swims. After all, there aren’t many (or any) defensive tackle, heavyweight wrestlers that transition to the pool. He’s listed on the football roster at 6-foot-7, 300 pounds.

That’s a bit of generous listing, but he’s still bigger than most swimmers.

He’s a self-described teddy bear who cooks snacks for the team’s bus rides. His caring nature and sense of humor make popular on all of his teams.

Windsor swimming coach Kevin Scott has known Bishop-Cotner since he was little. Bishop-Cotner and Scott’s son Andrew are the same age and grew up playing sports together.

“He has a real gentle spirit about himself. He’s a hardworking kid. He’s a great guy to have around,” Scott said. “He’s a caring, sharing kind of guy.”